


Icarus

by preetkiran1016



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Art School, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Awkward Flirting, Awkward dorks are awkward, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Meet-Cute, background lillie/moon, face palming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 21:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14065983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/preetkiran1016/pseuds/preetkiran1016
Summary: Moon grinned at him and squeezed lightly. “I can already tell you’re too far into your own head. Relax. You’re not a nerd tonight, remember? Get the stick out of your ass.”“I’ll give you a stick.” he grumbled, turning away from her as the lights began to flash, the crowd around them going absolutely wild.





	Icarus

**Author's Note:**

> Aka, where art hermit sun goes out for once and somehow lands a date.
> 
> Co-written by my lovely girlfriend and best friend. Who you can find here!
> 
> tumblr.com/blog/superspazcat  
> tumblr.com/blog/qaliqo
> 
> Fanart is also made by qaliqo!!!! She's amazing and the best beta reader and editor ever. take a look here:
> 
> https://78.media.tumblr.com/b52aa1a7f2df6b40acbda0e90a9e0553/tumblr_p61fxuQTTb1ryaqgjo1_500.png

       Two term papers, a math exam, a class presentation, and four separate illustration and painting assignments, and he only had six more days to finish it all up.

       Sun groaned, pressing his hands against closed eyes in a last-ditch effort to relieve the steadily building tension threatening to burst into a full-blown migraine. University was never a smooth ride, but midterms were a monster against which no number of sleepless nights seemed to improve his chances. He had already broken down into tears in the bathroom of the library at one point this week (something he wished he could forget, but Gold wouldn’t let it die on Snapchat). But he was at least now down to the final week; all he had to do was get all his remaining assignments turned in, catch his flight back to Hau’oli, and pass out for the foreseeable future.

       He studied the take-out container from the dining hall, half-eaten salad wilting pathetically on his fork, before sighing and tossing the box into his overflowing trash can. At times like this, he really wished he knew how to cook some of his mom’s recipes. The promise of coming home for spring break was so enticing that Sun’s eyelids were barely keeping open just thinking about it, the precious little caffeine left in his system doing absolutely nothing to help.

       A sudden banging against the door startled Sun from his moping. He turned to glance at his alarm clock— 11:47. His heart sank. It was way too late to get any studying done. And what kind of maniac came banging on someone’s door in the middle of the night? He didn’t have time for this. He still had to correct his presentation partner’s PowerPoint typos. And he couldn’t help but feel like his final draft for his illustration project was underwhelming.

       Another round of loud knocking at the door reminded him there was actually someone here, and he scrambled to his feet. He staggered over to his door on half-asleep legs, ready to throw the door open and give whoever it was a piece of his mind. His roommate was supposed to be gone for the weekend, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Black came back to the dorm to pick up one of his ten thousand consoles. At this hour, though, he would put his money on Ruby coming to crash on the futon. Sun liked the guy, but there was only so many times he could let him puke in his sink after a party. Sun wrenched the door open, death threat only half-formed before he recognized who was slouching in his doorway.

       “ _Moon?_ ” Sun squeaked, backing up hastily as she pushed past him into the room.“What are you doing here?”

       “Saving you from working yourself to death.” Moon smirked, kicking over a stack of dirty laundry as she swept past him into the room and ignoring Sun’s irritated huff. “Really, Sun, when was the last time you went out? This place smells like something died in here.”

       He would’ve gladly taken Ruby drunk-crying about his dad over Moon and her mom-look, hands on her hips and eyebrows raised. Sun just groaned, rubbing his temples and wishing he hadn’t already taken the last of the painkillers.

      “And when’s the last time you got laid?” Moon added. He shot her a withering look.

       “Some of us have exams coming up,” he snapped, pushing past Moon to his desk. She let herself fall into his bed like she owned the place before pushing herself up to her elbows, still smirking. He pushed papers around so he didn’t have to look at her. “I only have a week to get everything done, and—”

       “Mhm. Fascinating. Responsibilities. Yeah, no, I’m listening. But like, hear me out.” Moon rolled her feet to saunter over to his closet, scrunching her nose in disdain as she went through the lack of selection before tossing clothes to the floor. “I bet you already finished, like, ninety-nine percent of the actual work, and now you’re just nitpicking. Stop being a nerd for one second and come out with me.”

       “ _Out?_ Are you kidding me? It’s almost midni—”

       A pair of jeans hit his face.

       “Seriously. None of your shit,” Moon said loftily. “If I spend another minute in this room, the sweat smell is gonna give me cancer.” She picked a shirt off the top of a dirty laundry pile and gave it an exploratory sniff. She wrinkled her nose and dropped it to sniff at a different one.

       “It’s not _that_ bad,” Sun grumbled, turning to toss the jeans onto his bed. When he turned back to look at her, he was hit in the face with his old cheer shirt.

       “What did I say about you and your shit? Did I not use the word cancer?” Moon had the tact to turn her back so he could take his paint-stained sweats off.

       “Fine,” he grumbled, pulling the jeans up his legs. “But I wanna be back before too late. My sleep schedule—”

       “ _Cancer,_ Sun!”

       “Okay, okay!”

\-------

       It wasn’t necessarily freezing, but the wind chill was enough for Sun to curse himself for not bringing a jacket. Moon walked ahead of him, chatting animatedly with a cute blonde she had introduced as Lillie. She seemed nice enough, but Sun was in too irritable a mood to put too much effort into talking to his cousin’s latest fling.

       “Where are we even going?” he asked, not caring that he was interrupting. Lillie turned to give him an easygoing smile, but Moon looked annoyed.

       “I told you, it’s a show in Sycamore park. We’re friends of the band.”

       “It’s my brother,” Lillie added shyly. “He’s one of the vocalists.”

       Sun nodded, hoping he didn’t look as disinterested as he felt. As they got closer, lights bright enough to illuminate the sky caught his eye. The stage was lit from behind the band, casting them as dramatic silhouettes as they moved around the stage.

       “My family doesn’t like it, but I’m really proud of him,” Lillie was saying as Moon flashed their passes at the bouncer. He opened the chain, giving Sun a dirty look as they passed. “They’ve gotten really big! Last week they sold out Club Lavender.”

       Sun gave her a bland smile, unsure of what to say. _That’s great! Good job! I totally know what that is!_

       “He would be impressed if he’d ever been to Club Lavender,” Moon said reassuringly to Lillie, “but he doesn’t go out.”

       Lillie gave him a sympathetic smile. Sun hoped Moon could telepathically hear how badly he wanted to strangle her. They wove through the crowd, and Sun had never felt more out of place. He raised a skeptical eyebrow at the sea of neon hair, the glittering piercings, the black on black on black clothing. A girl with heavy eyeliner and bubblegum pink hair winked at him. He smiled tensely back and tried to avoid eye contact.

       “There he is,” Lillie said excitedly, pointing. He felt better looking at her, in her sweet, pristine white mini-dress and Mary Janes. He felt like she stuck out more sorely than he did. Somehow, she seemed not to mind at all. He wanted to snap a photo of her; the contrast was giving him ideas for a painting.

       A hand clapping his shoulder made him jump. Moon grinned at him and squeezed lightly. “I can already tell you’re too far into your own head. _Relax_. You’re not a nerd tonight, remember? Get the stick out of your ass.”

       “I’ll give you a stick.” he grumbled, turning away from her as the lights began to flash, the crowd around them going absolutely wild. The beginning chords of the song slammed out into the crowd, drowning out any retort from Moon. Sun blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes to adjust, and instantly lost his breath.

       The lead singer was beautiful enough to make Sun’s heart stutter. His tall, lean frame came stalking to the front of the stage, microphone in hand, a ragged fringe of blond hair falling over one eye as he moved to the music. He reached up to rake it back out of his face, revealing a gaze sharp enough to cut steel and a strong, clenched jaw that had Sun’s mind spinning.

       Sun blinked, utterly dazed. He wasn’t sure when they had moved forward, but he found himself gripping the low gate blocking the crowd from swarming the stage. The vocals were more screaming than singing in this song, and the guitarist seemed to be doing most of the screaming. The lead singer had caught sight of Lillie and had taken this free moment to crouch low on the stage, reach down and flick the wide brim of her hat. She gave him a playful look of irritation, and he winked. Sun could see the resemblance.

       The lead singer’s eyes flicked to him as he raised the mic back up to his lips, his smirk making Sun’s heart hammer in his chest. The light glinted off the piercings in his ear, and his voice was so sweet, even as furious as he sounded. Sun’s mind was racing with poetry, streaming verses like rivulets of ichor and molten gold.

       “You okay?” Moon shouted over the music, snapping him back to reality. The lead singer was back to pacing around the stage as he sang, no longer looking at him. Sun wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved, but he put on an off-handed smirk, shrugging like he wasn’t utterly enthralled.

       “I’m fine. It’s… not bad,” he admitted. He wasn't much of a (Hard rock? Screamo? He wasn’t sure) fan, but he could get used to this. The guitarist’s deep voice complemented the blond’s perfectly, and the bass and drums sounded...pretty decent.

       “Not bad?” Moon pressed, nudging him with an elbow.

       “Alright,” he shouted back, “you were right. This is pretty fun.”

       “Really now?” Moon grinned. Lillie laughed. She said something to Moon, but Sun was nowhere close to being able to hear her. He couldn’t help but return his attention back to the singer.

       One song faded into another, and he finally began to pay attention to the lyrics, at least those he could decipher.

 _Oh my god it's all happening_  
_Seems it's more than a fairy tale_  
_Whispers control our fate_  
_Wings of Icarus if you burn too quickly_  
         _From ashes we will rise._

         The blond’s voice was clear and surprisingly strong for someone with such a lean frame, but higher than the guitarist’s, who mostly sounded like something heavy dragging over gravel. He stalked around the stage like a caged animal as he sang, his hand curled like a claw and shaking with feeling.

        _Silently you told yourself that this was all a joke despite my faith_  
_Look me in the eye, say it to my face, tell me i will fail_ _  
_     _And I will prove you wrong_.  

        Sun’s heart fluttered again as the blond climbed down from the stage to pace in the narrow, empty corridor directly in front of the audience. Sun felt the color rush to his face as he realized the blond was coming right toward him. He passed lazy high-fives to random people from the crowd, leaning back to take several pictures and videos with his fans, a sly smile on his face even as he sang, and still he came closer. Sun glanced anxiously behind him, trying to scoot back and put some distance between himself and the railing before making a fool of himself in front of this guy, his cousin, and a bunch of strangers, but the mass of cheering fans whipping themselves into an increasing frenzy didn’t give him a gap wide enough to pass through.

       Sun licked his lips anxiously, scanning his options, and turned to see if the blond would be merciful and just pass him by— only to find those green eyes staring right back at his. Sun’s face was so hot, he was positive it was a shade that would’ve made his tube of Cadmium Red jealous.

       If he was beautiful from a distance, then this guy was a vision of Apollo up close. He could see an eyebrow piercing just at the arch, his lips thin and soft. The startling green of his eyes was exaggerated with the eyeliner he was wearing, glittering like beach glass.

       All Sun could do was stare back with his mouth half open, visibly blushing, his palms shaky and sweaty as they clung for dear life to the railing in front of him.

       The blond grinned at him, and time itself seemed to lie down and be still. The singer paused, the guitarist taking over vocals as the blond leaned forward, crowding into Sun’s space until he was close enough that Sun could’ve kissed him. Sun couldn’t breathe, couldn’t hope to survive as the singer brushed the hair away from Sun’s forehead and pulled away with an impish wink.

       Sun could barely hear the roar of the crowd over the rush of blood in his ears. He felt out of his mind, leaning forward almost involuntarily to follow the blond’s retreat till his stomach made contact with the metal fence. Time seemed to snap back up to speed as the blond continued his walk around the gate, flashing a smirk that made Sun’s knees buckle before the artist turned his attention back to the crowd. When he drew the mic back up to his lips and turned away to continue singing, Sun sucked in what felt like the first breath he’d taken in minutes. The front row was full of outstretched hands as the blond returned to the stage, the audience crying for one last touch. It was all Sun could do not to join them.

       He wasn't going to survive the night.

\-------

       Sun followed Moon out of the pit in a daze after the band bowed out. He felt frayed, exhausted, but still somehow disappointed that it was over. Moon hadn’t stopped giving him weird looks ever since that moment the blond had gotten in his face. He was trying not to look at her. He knew the questions were coming.

       “Y’know,” she said finally, and he cringed at the mischief in her voice. “Lillie’s getting us backstage access.”

       “ _What?_ ” Sun’s heart jumped. “We’re gonna go talk to them?”

       “Gladion is Lillie’s brother,” Moon said innocently. “Of course we’re gonna go talk to them.”

 _Gladion?_ Sun swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat didn’t budge. “Do I have to?” he hedged. Moon laughed.

       “You didn’t look so shy when that guy leaned in to—,” she started, but she was interrupted by Lillie returning. She was clutching a pack of cigarettes like it was a dangerous animal she was restraining. She threw it irritably into the nearest bin.

       “Caught Guzma smoking _again_ ,” Lillie said to Moon, who shook her head empathetically. Lillie smiled shyly at Sun. “Are you ready? The band’s waiting. They’re psyched to meet you.”

       Sun reddened. He could only imagine how _that_ conversation had gone: _Who was that guy you were with, Lillie? I think he wants to worship me as a god._ The worst part was, Sun wasn’t sure he could deny it.

       Moon grabbed Sun by the upper arm and guided him along. Lillie was practically bouncing, like she was a random fangirl and not a personal friend of the band.

       “Plums was telling me she was trying to get Gladion to engage the crowd, but he looked really into it tonight! He was actually _performing,_ not just standing there. Remember the show in Castelia? He looked like Guzma forced him to be there, not like he wanted to be. He’s come so far since he started.”

        Sun tried to listen and nod along with her as she talked, but his mind was buzzing. _Gladion. His name is Gladion. His name is Gladion and I’m about to go talk to him. His name is Gladion and I’m about to go talk to him and he’s god incarnate. He’s god incarnate and he almost kissed me. He almost kissed me. His name is Gladion. His name is—_

        “Gladion!” Moon said, and Sun knew he probably shouldn’t be so surprised that they were on a first-name basis; she _was_ dating his sister. He suddenly felt like the odd man out, the stranger in a group of friends, and he wanted nothing more than to turn and run. Especially when Gladion looked up and grinned at them. Moon sped up a run and to threw her arms around him. “That was amazing!"

       Gladion’s chuckle as he struggled to stay upright gave Sun chills. Lillie ran to join in on the hug, and suddenly Sun was walking up by himself. The heat in his face assured him in no uncertain terms that he was bright red, and he wasn’t sure how to approach without looking like a shuffling preschooler.

       He was saved when two younger-looking band members came shuffling up behind him, and he could fool himself into thinking he was walking up with them. The guitarist stopped guffawing over Gladion staggering around under the weight of two pint-sized girls long enough to stick out a hand. When Sun took it to shake, the guitarist yanked him in to give him a noogie.

       “Nice to meet ya, kid!” When he let go, Sun was caught between relief at the icebreaker and shock at the sudden contact. “Heard you’re a new fan. I’m Guzma. The two numbskulls over there are Alice and Ben. Moon says you knew them in high school.”

       “I don’t know—,” Sun started, attempting to smile and wave back as the two in question threw peace signs and poses, but Moon cut in, apparently having extricated herself from Gladion.

       “No, _I_ knew them in high school. Sun grew up in Hau’oli City,” she explained. She lifted her chin at Sun. “Did I ever tell you about my friend Alice? Alice Grunt? Ringing any bells?”

       Sun shrugged, his mouth dry. He was desperately trying not to look at Gladion, who was talking to the bassist with Lillie. Guzma smiled at him. Now that he wasn’t polarized by the harsh lighting on the stage, he wasn’t a bad-looking guy. His two-toned hair was rough and a little greasy, and the bags under his eyes rivaled Sun’s own, but he had a wicked grin that was undeniably charming.

       “That’s Plumeria over there. Plums. Our bassist. Hey, Plums!” Guzma called. “Come engage your fans! If Gladion can pull it off, so can you.”

        “Don’t tell me what to do,” Plumeria snapped, but she flashed Sun a smile. “Nice to see a new fan. Moon’s told me about you.”

        Gladion raised an eyebrow at that. “Hasn’t told me,” he said good-naturedly as he sauntered over. Moon shrugged.

       “He’s not very interesting,” she said. Sun wondered if there was anything here he could crawl under and die. Guzma grinned.

       “Don’t matter. Y’all have met now, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows at Sun, who briefly considered drowning himself in the nearby cooler full of soda cans and half-melted ice. “Pretty well acquainted already, actually.”

        “Don’t be such a dad, Guzma,” Gladion said mildly. He extended a hand. “I guess since no one’ll do me the honor, I’m Gladion.”

        “Sun,” was all Sun managed to choke out. Gladion’s eyebrows twitched downward, but his mouth kept smiling. Sun belatedly remembered to take Gladion’s hand, but his brain froze when he tried to remember what to do with it.

       “His name is Sun,” Moon said dryly. “He’s my cousin. Looks like his… social anxiety is acting up.”

       Gladion gave him a sympathetic smile that was almost identical to his sister’s. Somehow, Lillie had never made Sun feel like jumping off something tall the way Gladion was now. Sun was still clutching Gladion’s hand. He wasn’t sure if it would be weirder to keep clutching it or to just drop it without doing anything with it.

       “It’s good to meet you,” Gladion said, and something about the way he said it— the honest, genuine sound of his voice, or maybe the way his eyes smiled along with his mouth— steadied Sun somehow. He took a deep breath and managed a short, decisive shake before finally dropping Gladion’s hand.

       “Thanks,” he said, managing to sound less like he was in the middle of a heart attack. “You guys were great out there.”

       Gladion’s eyes flashed, delighted. “Thanks! Means a lot. You don’t look like we’re necessarily your style.”

       “You look like the mopey indie type,” Guzma chimed in. Sun laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and trying not to look too much like Guzma hit the nail on the head.

       “No, no, you’re definitely my type,” he said, and then instantly regretted it. Plumeria’s eyebrows shot up. Sun couldn’t be sure— he was distracted by his brain screaming at him to slap himself into unconsciousness— but he would swear Gladion reddened.

       “Oh my god,” Moon muttered under her breath. Guzma actually cackled. Gladion shot him a fierce look. Sun was actually dizzy with embarrassment. He was so stupid, it was making him lightheaded. Maybe if he just held his breath, he would suffocate and die.

       “That’s so funny,” Gladion said carefully, returning his gaze to Sun. “I was thinking the exact same thing.” Sun watched numbly as Gladion reached out and took his hand. He produced a Sharpie from his back pocket and wrote directly onto Sun’s wrist. Sun was too busy processing to read what he was writing.

       “You free Saturday?” Gladion asked.

       “I fly home on Sunday,” Sun said stupidly. Gladion’s smile was patient.

        “I’ll take that as a yes.” He capped his Sharpie and popped it back into his pocket. His hand lingered on Sun’s, but he eventually let go. “Good. I’ll see you Saturday, then?”

       “See you Saturday,” Sun echoed.

       Gladion lit up. “It’s a date.”

       Moon had the grace to loop her arm into Sun’s and guide him away. She was shaking her head.

       “I cannot believe this,” she said flatly as they exited the park. “That was the _least_ smooth thing I’ve ever seen. That was smooth as sandpaper, Sun. It was sandpaper for my eyes.”

       Lillie laughed sheepishly. “It was pretty awkward,” she agreed.

       “I cannot believe that _that_ garbage fire landed you a date. With a guy in a band. The _lead singer_ of a band,” Moon said. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “That trainwreck. That absolute disaster.”

       “A date,” Sun repeated absently. He glanced at his wrist, and his heart jumped. A number. It was a phone number.

 _His name is Gladion and he’s god incarnate and I talked to him and he gave me his number,_ he thought, stunned. _He gave me his number and he almost kissed me and we’re going on a date._

       “Where are you taking him?” Lillie asked. “Dinner? A movie?”

        “I dunno,” Sun said. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the numbers scribbled into his skin. He pulled his arm away from his torso, suddenly worried he’d smudge the ink. “Art show?”

       “God, you’re such a nerd.” Moon groaned.

        Sun shrugged. “I guess that’s his type.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!!! Thanks for making it to the end!!! I hope you enjoyed this silly fluffy story, and I'll see y'all in the next installment!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @ preetkiran1016
> 
> Song lyrics are from the band Alesana's song Double or Nothing, which you can find here:
> 
> https://youtu.be/J6bptWRqvhY


End file.
